Team Bojangles

ISAIAH TURNS THREE !!

2010-11-17T09:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Isaiah's big day yesterday !!! We had soo much fun. The day started out with breakfast with his daddy. Then I took him to the Mall of America and we rode rides,ate at McDonalds(him not me), and read books at Barnes and Nobles. His favorite was a spider man book. One funny story is that while we were getting a free cookie from the Nestle Toll House store in the mall, Isaiah SCREAMS at the man behind the counter "IT'S MY BIRFDAY AND I AM FREE YEARS OLD. LOOK HOW TALL I AM". To which the man behind the counter says "wow I would have guessed you were at least four year old." SO nice that he was accommodating !!!

I am so very thankful for this "surprise" child !!! I love that he snuggles with me and gives me lots of kisses. I love that he can express his thoughts and emotions as well as wrestle around with his daddy and with me. He is definitely developing into a very type A child which is fine, because his daddy and I both tend to be that way. I think it is hilarious that he is shaping up to be a backseat driver. Whenever I zoom through a yellow turning red light he yells "WAIT FOR THE RED LIGHT". Whenever I turn right on a red light he asks me why I didn't wait for the light to change. Alan and I pray that he would know who Jesus is soon. That he would love Him and follow Him out of a deep desire that the Spirit puts in his heart.

Here are some pictures of the day :)

Ru's First day of PRE-K !!!

2010-09-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

Ru lookin' beautiful !! She was nervous but after the second day she loves it and all is well :) They eat lunch at school so I hope my girl doesn't bankrupt them !!!

Had to get a picture of the little man as well !! Already dreamin' about next year when Ru will be in Kindergarten and Isaiah will be in preschool two days a week !! Woo Hoo !!! As crazy as it sounds in about a month or two we start touring schools for Ru for the next school year. It is a long process but I am praying that I will get on board with whatever school the Lord has already picked out for Ru. Can't lie . . . I am praying pretty hard that the Lord's plans match my own !!!

Minnesota State Fair

2010-09-06T15:49:00.000-07:00

That's right folks !!! Our family trekked out to the state fair this year. We decided to bike there and back hoping that we would feel less guilty about what we ate knowing we would burn at least some calories !!! So drum roll please . . . The Burdette family Food list for 2010 !!!!!

1. Fresh squeezed lemonade (Mainly Alan)
2. Mini donuts (Alan and Ru)
3. Cheese curds (Rachel, Alan and Ru)
4. Chocolate dipped Key lime pie (Rachel and Ru)MY FAVORITE !!!!
5. Garlic Fries (Mainly Rachel) PRETTY CLOSE SECOND !!!
6. Foot long Corn Dog (Alan and Ru)
7. Jumbo Root beer Float (Mainly Alan)
8. Mini donuts (Isaiah)
9. Two Pretzels (Alan, Isaiah and Ru)
10. Cotton Candy (Isaiah and Ru)
11. Root beer Float ( Mainly Isaiah)
12. Fudge Puppy ( Rachel, Ru and Isaiah)

THAT is our list. If you notice Isaiah doesn't make it on the list til #8. He fell asleep and missed 1-7. Alan, Ru and I were full when he woke up. His first question was-" I hungy. What are we going to eat ??"

The kids got to ride four rides each and while Isaiah slept,we were entertained by a juggling comedian names Sean Emery :) After that we trekked down to the heritage square for some blue grass!!! Usually we end up listening to Polka music but this year I timed it so that we actually got to listen to a folk/bluegrass band !! They were great :)

By that point, Alan was pretty tired and so we called it a day at the fair. All we had left was our 45 minuted bike ride back home :)

That was our Labor Day. All food named and claimed !!! Til next year . . .

Friends in Texas :)

2010-09-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

Some of the Spence-Briggs Kiddos :)

Me, Amanda and Sylvia. We were Resident Advisor's in college together. We have stayed friends over the past 10 years. It was soo good to see y'all. Thanks Amanda for letting the kids and I stay at your place. WE had a BLAST !!!!

My friend April. We have been friends since 5th grade. It had been 6 years since I had seen her. It was soo good to reconnect. Next time we have to bring our spouses and kiddos!!!!BTW-Italian Margaritas-YUM-O. Thanks for the introduction to them !!!

Shoutouts- I also got to hang out with my good friend Steph Lee and her two precious girls and my good friend Chung. Thanks everyone for letting us visit !!! I had a great time catching up. Love you all.

Strawberry Picking and a Murder Mystery Party

2010-06-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

So the kids and I went strawberry picking with my friend Emily and her son Alex. We had a good time except for the slugs that were all over the strawberries !!! Isaiah ate almost all of the strawberries that he picked and I am sure there were slugs on some of them. He didn't seem to mind :) I decided to make some quick freezer jam with some of the strawberries, froze some for later, and the rest we are enjoying now.

Yummy :)

I am not the "dress up" type when it comes to parties but I decided to try and get into the spirit of the ladies night murder mystery. I went to at least 5 to 10 vintage stores to find a dress and this was the one that was in my price range :) I decided while looking that I just don't do well with this type of creative stuff. I know that some of my friends could have easily pieced together a couple of outfits that would have looked AWESOME ( Laura, Leah, Sara, Emily and Steph. Lee) and I knew I was not pulling things together like I wanted but alas I tried. I am glad I got into the spirit of things because it was a lot of fun !!!! Thanks Ashley for all of the planning. It was a HUGE success :)

Last but not least, I am training for a half Marathon on August 7th !!! I am not going to say that I will get there but so far my friend Laura and i have been doing one long run on Wednesday nights. Every week we add a mile. So far our longest run has been 8.5 miles. This Wednesday we might shoot for 10. We should be running two more short distances a week but really-who has time for all that plus lifting weights. I will say that the best part of running is getting to talk with Laura,who is moving to New York in mid August :( BOO that you are leaving, YAY that your hubby got a teaching job :). Yet again, there is NO WAY I would run this far without a friend to talk to. When I run by myself I give out after 3 miles-just too boring.
Oh, I must add that my hubby has been such a great sport watching the kiddos while I run and is doing a great job encouraging me. Thanks handsome man for supporting me and for being awesome !!!

Isaiah happenings !!!

2010-06-26T10:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a cute video of the little man. He LOVES to sing and loves Toy Story 1, 2, and 3 :) This age has been a lot of fun. I felt like i missed the two to three stage with Ru since Isaiah was just born and things were crazy. So it has been really sweet to be fully engaged with Isaiah at this age. He definitely has a fun energetic personality.

That's right folks !!!!! He is potty and poopy trained !!!! HURRAY. He has gone one full week without ANY accidents so I feel somewhat confident in saying that he is finished :) I am hoping in the next month he will be out of diapers at night as well. He really dislikes wearing a diaper to bed but his diaper isn't completely dry in the morning yet. I can tell he just goes a little in his diaper during the night so I think we are close. I am sooo thankful that this went so easy. I know it could have been much worse and I was bracing for it . I promise no more posts about potty training :)

He also just went in to the doctors for a checkup and for shots. He currently is in the 70 percentile on height and 45th percentile on weight. After the nurses gave him the shots he was crying, gave them a VERY dirty look and said "You huwt me".

Potty Training

2010-05-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

Isaiah is now in the potty training phase!!! We are easing into it and have finally found what makes him want to go potty, wearing underwear over his diaper. Nana had bought him some toy Story underwear and I went out and got him some Thomas the train underwear. He is super excited.

Up to this point I have been teaching him to go potty sitting down but this weekend while we were at a church retreat Alan took him into the men's restroom. One of the first questions Isaiah asked was "Daddy what are they doing??" I am sure he asked it in a loud curious boy voice. So Alan showed him how to pee standing up. And now my little man WILL NOT go potty sitting down. I hate cleaning the bathroom toilet as it is and don't do it very often and now I am going to have to do it every day or two. All I can say is he better have good aim or I am gonna make him sit down to go potty. When my friend was potty training her son, I would always tell him, when I was watching him, that I would give him two treats instead of one if he sat down to go potty instead of standing up!! He always obliged :)

Anyways, it if fun to see the excitement on Isaiah's face when he does go potty for me. He knows it is a big deal and loves for me to praise him. Let's hope I can get him fully trained by mid August. That would be awesome . I can almost feel the extra 50 bucks a month in my pocket !!!!

Dentist Appointments !!!

2010-04-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

The kiddos had dentist appointment and I am glad and relieved to say they did AWESOME and have NO cavities. WOO HOO !! This was Isaiah's first time at the dentist and I was afraid he would be whiny and not listen to the dentist or dental hygienist. But he was great. They introduced him to all of the dental tools and he even gave Mr.Thirsty a try. The biggest part was he opened VERY wide for the dentist to check his back teeth. YAY.

This was Ru's second visit and she did great as well. They took x-rays of her back teeth and it looks like her 6 year old molars are in on the bottom and are starting to come in on the top. I asked about sealants but the dentist said that she wanted to wait until the next visit to see if she really needed them.

We celebrated with a trip to Pumphouse Creamery, a super yummy organic and local ice cream shop, once Alan got home. It could have been a very different experience and I am very very thankful that it was an easy trip.

No more dentist appointments for the kids for a YEAR !!!

My Celebration Race !!!

2010-04-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

This is the "after the race" picture.

I had a blast doing my first race. There are many reasons why people do these races. Some run to win the grand prize, some run to achieve a goal, some run to be apart of the community and I am sure the list could go on. For me though, this race wasn't about how fast my time could be or about winning it (HAHAHA like that would EVER happen)or even about meeting a "goal". I knew I could run 6.2 miles and I knew I wasn't about trying to run it the fastest I possibly could. For me personally, it was a celebration of how far I have come in the past year and about continuing to try new active activities.

I ran this with the ladies I have been training with over the past year (excluding one who got knocked up). It was good to have support because it rained a good bit at the beginning of the race. On my way to meet up with my friends I was thinking about how maybe they would all want to just skip it and go eat breakfast and chat. Oh the thoughts!!! But no way was that actually going happen. Emily would have never gone for it :) So by the end of the race I had wet socks, wet feet,soaked and once I stopped running COLD !!! Not picture perfect weather.

So now that I have finished race numebr one will there be a second one?? Hmm . . .I am thinking probably so. Maybe a half marathon?? Maybe the next race I will be more competitive about my personal time. I don't know. I guess it will all depend:)

Oh yeah--and a BIG THANKS to Eric Miller for watching my kids all morning long. Alan is out of town and there was a ladies event at our church that most everyone went to but us racing ladies. That is how awesome of a church community I have :)!!!!

GO BIG OR GO HOME !!!!

2010-04-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

Today at Old navy the first 50 people in line got 50 percent off of their purchase. Most people could pass on this but since I have been losing weight for over a year I have had to get new clothes EVERY season !!! The quality isn't great at Old Navy but that is ok because I plan on these clothes being too big next summer :) So me and the three ladies I work out with decided to go for it. The mall stores open at 10 a.m. but you can get into the mall at 7 a. m. So we decided we would meet at 7:) Well, I didn't sleep very well and kept waking up so by 6 I decided to go ahead and get dressed. I left at 6:15 and was in the mall at 6:30. That's right the mall was opened at 6:30 and older people were already walking around the mall for their exercise. It was nice and quiet and my friend Emily met me at 7 with Sara and Laura filing in just a bit after. We were the first in line and by the time we went in I think there were 48 people in line. So we didn't have to get there THAT early but that's ok because it was fun to talk and not be interrupted by kiddos.

I made Alan take off until noon so I could do this. He has been super busy but was a really good sport. I knew I wouldn't have enough time to get everything by noon so I told him to bring the kiddos at 11:15. I had until then to find and try on all my stuff. It was just enough time :) Then I took the kiddos and went upstairs to shop for Ru and Isaiah. Isaiah didn't need much because of hand me downs from his cousin Samuel but Ru is so ahead of the curve that I always have to get her clothes every season. Nana supplied all the dresses for the summer for Ru but she needed shirts, more shorts, and sunglasses :) I left Old Navy at 12:15. I spent $150 dollars and saved $150 dollars. Pretty good :) I was hoping to make it in at 100 dollars since I am doing a diaper study that pays me $100 dollars but that obviously didnt happen.

My best buy was a pair of dark denim Jeans for $1.75. That's right one dollar and seventy five cents AND they are Super cute. I bought lots of tank tops, cami's, short sleeved tops, one pair of denim capris, one pair of denim burmudas and one pair of khaki bermudas.

My head is spinning. I was so anxious and only had a skinny Mocha from Starbucks until I got home. I am thinking about whether or not I should have stayed longer, looked through clearance more closely and bought more. But I think I am good. I know I am crazy and insane but I think I needed everything that I bought. As for Ru, they had jeans super reduced but I was freaking out trying to decide whether to try and buy her jeans(that would have been like 6 bucks)for next year. What size would I buy her, would they fit?? I just couldn't take the pressure and that was how I knew I was done.

Do I sound crazy?? Welcome to my world as a mom !!!!

MIS MATCHED

2010-04-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

So here she is. My mismatched little girl. I know it isn't that horrible but really it took everything in me to let her leave the house in those tights. She asked me if I loved her outfit and I said I loved the dress and the tights BUT not together. She then declared that her OUTFIT was beautiful and only a pink and brown striped bow would make it perfect. Nice. So it isn't horrible and I will continue to let her pick out her own outfits within reason. Meaning it can mismatch as much as she wants but it better stay modest :)

Easter Part 1

2010-04-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

After church we went to take some photos. I love how both of my kids are posing :) Love it :)

Trying to get in a good "couple" shot :)

Easter part 2

2010-04-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

After lunch , all of the kiddos got to smash confetti eggs over each others head. It was lots of fun.

After church but before lunch, we went and took some pictures of the kiddos. I love this picture of Isaiah :) He looks so darn boyish :) He isn't a baby anymore :(

Ru looking beautiful in her dress from Nana and Papaw :)

Easter Part 3

2010-04-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

Molly and Ru searching for eggs. (We couldn't find any other baskets and used Halloween baskets for Ru and Isaiah)

Alex searching for his eggs :) This year, I put the first letter of their name so they could search for their own eggs. It seemed to work well.

Cory and Alan going through the Resurrection eggs with the kiddos.

Hanging out with our friends!! We had a great time !!!

Stairs

2010-03-31T14:01:00.000-07:00

What is it with falling asleep on the stairs? At least this time around my child chose the bottom of the stairs and not the top :) Smart :)

Natalie and Bryan visit !!!!

2010-03-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

Natalie, Alan's sister, and Bryan came to visit from Lubbock. We had a blast !! When went on a double date sans kiddos to Bryant Lake Bowl. We can tell who won :)

Another day we went downtown to see the sights. Here are the "copying sisters".

Since Natalie and Alan don't do adventurous rides, Bryan and I were riding buddies at the Mall of America. We had a great time.

Here is "Twinkle Toes" at the Bowling Alley. He would do a Fred Flinstone dance before he bowled. Every time !!

Slacker !!!! ( not really though)

2010-03-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after I picked Ru up from a play date, I told her we were going to home so I could get dinner cooked. She asked why Daddy doesn't ever cook. I told her he has a job a QBP and that my job is to hang out with them, cook, clean, grocery shop and go to the Y :) Ru then said, WHY do YOU have FIVE jobs and daddy only has ONE !!!! hehehe

Proof of my girlie girl :)

2010-03-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Ru

2010-02-16T11:04:00.000-08:00

Back from a loooonnnggg break. Ru had her early childhood screening test this morning. They ask a kids 62 questions as well as testing their hearing and vision. Every kid has to take it before entering into the Minneapolis public schools. She is in the 99 percentile on weight and height. Of course !!!! The important thing is that her BMI is well within normal, which is what you have to look at when you come up against a kiddo well out of the normal range :) Can you believe they actually give BMI measurements for 4 year olds? I don't really like the BMI measurement but I guess it will do. She also got 56 out of the 62 questions right. But really she missed four out of four questions in one category which tells me that she didn't understand what they wanted from her. The other two questions she missed were ones I expected her to get but easily fixable
(Like where is your ankle. She pointed to her elbow. Weird. Oh well)
Also, for those of you who don't keep up with facebook-Ru lost a tooth and one more is very wiggly. It will be out in two weeks, I bet !!! OK that's all :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RU!!!

2009-12-07T19:45:00.001-08:00

WoW!! What a day :) It was packed. I will post pictures another day. It started out with Ru opening all of her gifts from her family. The last gift she got to open was the "small gift" from us. A new bike !! ( well, at least new to her. It was $20 on craigslist) Anyways. Ru then headed to preschool with cookies in hand for all fo her classmates. I asked if they sang to her and she said no, they prayed for her :) Isn't that awesome !!! So much better than a song. After preschool, we headed to Mall of America to ride some rides. If you sign up they give you a free all day pass on your birthday. They also gave us some awesome coupons for a free dish of dippin dots ice cream, a free nestle toll house cookie and a buy one get one free from Noodles and Co. Of course Ru wanted it all and since it was her birthday and you only turn four once I let her indulge :) She had a lot of fun but we ended up leaving early because she was tired. After that we picked Isaiah up from Leah's and picked up a friend of Ru's for a sleepover. We then headed to Ikea for dinner !! After that we came home got in PJ's and headed for bed. Whew . . . I bet just reading this makes you exhausted !!! Ru had a blast and I am hoping she sleeps in :) All in a day at the Burdette household.

1 day to go!!!

2009-12-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

In honor of the post of Isaiah in Alan's childhood suit her are some pictures of RU in Alan's child hood clothes !!

This is a bugs bunny shirt that says "Don't mess with the KID"

Enough said !!

Alan on Ru's pant leg

A closer look

Three Generations

2009-12-06T06:26:00.000-08:00

Ru's 4th Birthday Party !!!

2009-12-05T14:02:00.000-08:00

This year Ru really wanted to have a Chuck E Cheese Birthday Party. So of course we said yes !! Ru is very very extroverted. ( Just like her mom !!!) So she is definitely blessed when she gets to celebrate and hang out with her friends :) I told her she could either have no party and a big gift or a party and a small gift. There was not even the slightest hesitation !!! All the kids had a blast riding rides and playing games. The pizza and cake were just afterthoughts.

Ru's Party Part Two

2009-12-05T13:53:00.000-08:00

The kiddos eating Pizza

The yummy Cake !!!

Everyone blow the candles out !!!

Eating cake :)

Ru's Party Part Three

2009-12-05T13:49:00.000-08:00

Lucy and Ru in one of the rides

Ru opening up one of her presents

Ru opening up two pairs of Princess socks from Lucy

Ru's gift from Mado !! Isn't that AWESOME !!!

A side note- Ru also got a really cool ukulele from Mado, Calvin and Ike. I would post the picture but it is a really bad picture of myself :) I have to give props though because it is super fun !!! Maybe I will post a picture soon when she is playing it :)

3 Days to GO !!!!

2009-12-04T06:12:00.000-08:00

All bundled up for some fun in the snow !!!

Her first bike !!

Frosting Cookies !!!

Hehehe . . . she can sleep anywhere :)

4 Days to GO !!!

2009-12-03T13:38:00.000-08:00

She loves her Jubilee

Palling aroudn with her daddy again !!

Love her smile !!

Can you guess who dressed her ????

5 Days to go !!!

2009-12-02T05:32:00.000-08:00

This was for Ru's 2nd Easter. She LOVED all the accesories !!!

Palling around with her daddy. One of her favorite things to do :)

A face I STILL see :)

So cute :)

6 days to go !!!!

2009-12-01T05:14:00.000-08:00

Seven Day Count Down to Ru's Birthday !!!

2009-11-30T10:03:00.000-08:00

That's my little girl !!! She came out HUNGRY !!!

Isaiah's Birthday Part Four

2009-11-16T19:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks Tom and Mary for celebrating with us! And thanks to everyone else who sent cards, presents, and well wishes!

Isaiah's Birthday Part Three

2009-11-16T19:28:00.000-08:00

And lastly, we had our friends Tom, Mary, Lucy, and Will over for dinner. We all enjoyed cake (complete with Elmo toppings) and ice cream, especially the boys!

Isaiah's Birthday Part Two

2009-11-16T19:25:00.000-08:00

Next, Isaiah got to play in Legoland, in my opinion the very part part of the Mall of America.

Isaiah's Birthday Part One

2009-11-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

Today was a special day at the Burdette household; it was Isaiah's birthday! Mom prepared a number of special things for him. First, she and Isaiah spent the morning having a special mommy son day at the mall. Isaiah wore his new backpack for the occasion and got to throw down some milk and a huge chocolate chip cookie

1 day left !!!

2009-11-15T05:45:00.000-08:00

Yep-he likes talking on the phone too !!! ( I think this could be a blackmail photo in about 14 years :)

He is smiling because the little stinker is running off with Ru's shoes :0)

Trying on Ru's new shoes !! He liked them because they light up.

He is my cutey :0)

2 Days to go !!!

2009-11-14T05:20:00.000-08:00

I had to put in all of these photos because agian they are faces I see ALL the time. this one says "mommy hold me "

This one says you just made me very very angry and hurt my feeling at the same time !!!

This one says " I am being a silly willy"

This one says " Don't you dare take my cookie, Aunt Natalie!!! Back it up. If not I will have to pull out the face that was in the second photo"

3 Days left !!!

2009-11-13T05:55:00.000-08:00

Here is Isaiah and his buddy Will. They are only two weeks apart.

Isaiah with his Cole Ernie :) If you look at his eyes-this is again a look I see very often. It looks like he is giving Cole Ernie a kiss but he isn't He is trying to bite Cole Ernie's head. This is his " I know I am being a stinker, what are you going to do about it" look.

Isaiah last Christmas with Ru's Dora ball :)

4 Days left !!

2009-11-12T05:57:00.000-08:00

After his first bowl of cereal :) I thought he liked it but not really. His tummy couldn't take cereal quite yet.

Strangely, this is still the way they are in the Chariot. Ru takes up more space and Isaiah does everythign he can to move her :0 THe only time it is peaceful is when we go on long bike rides and they fall asleep on each other :)

Isaiah with Ma-maw

Learning to climb up the stairs to his bedroom. He did great !!!

5 Days to go !!!!

2009-11-11T05:33:00.000-08:00

He didn't like the helmet very much then but sure does LOVE wearing one around the house now. In fact, he is my accessories man:) He loves to wear socks, shoes, mittens, hats, scarves,cookie monster slippers- all of it. He will keep it on as well. Ru always sheds her accesories before we even get out of the car :)

I love his smile :)

I love his expressionin this photo. I STILL see it on his face. He and Ru are with their Great Grandpa and Grandma. They had came from Ohio to help us move into our house. Isaiah was 5 months old when this photo was taken.

Six days Left !!!

2009-11-10T05:48:00.000-08:00

Isaiah is only one week old in this photo :) and Ru is almost TWO :)

Isaiah is 3 1/2 months here.

7 days til my little man turns 2 !!!!

2009-11-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

The day he was born Nov. 16th :0) So chunky. He weighted 10 pounds at birth and I weighed him at the Y this morning and he is a whopping 26 pounds :>) !!! Hopefully I will get around to posting a picture every day til his birthday.

A Rock Star and a Chicken

2009-10-31T19:21:00.000-07:00

Here is my rock star with pink hair and makeup !!!

Her complete outfit

My Chicken !!!

Right before we left for the Trunk or Treat, baskets ready !!

We had a blast this year !!! Ru and I went to a carnival of sorts at Minneha-ha Falls where she got to do a little trick or treating, jump on a bouncy thingy ma jig, rock out and dance to some cool music and also eat some yummy popcorn. Then we went home and waited for Isaiah to get up from his nap. We headed over to the trunk or treat where they got more candy and also got to play some fun games. Last but not least we went out on our street and did some trick or treating !! Isaiah got the most candy because after they would put candy into his basket he would cry "more, more" and then either hold out his hand or grab in their candy bowls. All of them thought it was super cute and when I tried to stop him from doing it he threw a fit. So I figured since everyone laughed and thought it was cute and not disrespectful I just let him. Hopefully next year he will do better !!! Isaiah also would not say trick or treat. He would only say TREAT !!! Ru picked up on everything really quickly. She would go up to the door (who had their lights on) and say you have to give us candy because your light is on. It was funny. That is all I got. Until next year . . .

Gram visits !!!!!

2009-10-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

We got in a small visit on Sunday night with GRAM. She is in Minneapolis on business and came in a day early !! WOO HOO !!!

Had to get a photo of them all !!!

This was hilarious. Isaiah LOVED Gram's feet and socks. He kept messing with her socks and pulled both of them off.

Now he is trying to put her sock back on and Ru decides to jump in on the fun !!!

Alas, they decide that the socks look much better on them !!!

He made a deal with his wife!!!

2009-10-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

That is right folks. Alan has made a deal. I really want to take the kiddos dressed up for Halloween to the trunk or treat at the church where I attend MOPS and really be apart of the festivities with friends. Most people know that Alan doesn't want to celebrate Halloween, which I think is fine. I understand his reasonings but I differ in my opinion. So this year, I told Alan he could have the WHOLE day and night to himself if I could take the kiddos to the trunk or treat and maybe some other fun places !! I knew he couldn't resist. I mean really, who could ?? The deal was struck !!. Pictures of the kiddos soon to come :)

Isaiah's phrases

2009-10-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some of Isaiah's favorite sayings,

All done, all done

No more no more no more

ELMO, ELMO, ELMO, ELMO,ELMO,ELMO,ELMOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I need dat, I need dat

I like it, I like it

ELP, ELP, ELP

open sesame ( after pushing the elevator button and waiting for the door to open at the Y)

sista

gaggy (daddy)

Funny Isaiah

2009-09-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

I was looking through some pictures and found some cute/funny ones of Isaiah that I thought I would post. All of these were taken in the last couple of months. Oh, and our little man is now sleeping in a bed !!!! He is doing so great staying in his bed and sleeping and waiting for me to come get him before he gets up. So finally both our kiddos are sleeping upstairs in their twin beds :) I can not believe how easy the transition was. I am super blessed that it has been this easy. And while I am talking about Isaiah, let me also mention that he loves Ru's Barbie dolls. I think he has been playing with them just as much as Ru. So, any suggestions on maybe a more "manly" doll.

Apple Orchard Time !!

2009-09-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

FALL is here !! YAY !! We went to our favorite apple orchard today and picked some yummy honeycrisp apples. They are by far the best apple around !!! We decided since Isaiah was old enough to actually pick the apples it would be fun to pick a peck. (10-12 lbs ) Both the kiddos had a great time pulling apples off the tree, playing in a huge train, climbing a haystack, climbing on a huge green tractor, riding on a hay ride, riding a pony, and watching goats on the roof of the barn. Not to mention the yummy brats, apple cider donuts, apple cider and my favorite the carmel apple. Lots o' fun :)

Apple Orchard Cont.

2009-09-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

Trout Lake Camp !!!

2009-09-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

Some of the Laides from our church went on a retreat to Trout Lake Camp. It was awesome !!! Our free time was filled with activities like the zip line, rock climbing, pontoon rides, leap of faith ( I passed on this one) and a lot of other fun cool stuff. The worship leader did a great job and the speaker definitely had a love for God and could preach like no other !!! And most importantly my pancreas never exploded and luckily no one ever found my flask !! :):)

A group shot !!

Emily and I climbing !! So fun :):)

Gram and Grandad cont.

2009-09-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

Grandad the master griller !!

The MEN !!!

Alan's Uncle Frank, Alan's mom (aka Gram), Alan's Grandmom (aka Woofie), Alan's Uncle Gene, Alan's Aunt Lisa (aka second mom :) Alan's Uncle Bill not pictured.

That's right he loves Ice Cream.

Gram and Grandad

2009-09-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

Gam and Isaiah playing with a balloon. He loved making Gram's hair stand up !!

Natalie (Alan's sister), Gram and Alan

Woofie's birthdya cake. She tunred a young 75 !!! We all had a great time helping her celebrate :)

Ru and her cousin Samuel layin' around on the hammock

Visiting Grandpa Dub and Grandma B-Fishing Trip !!

2009-09-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

Ru "caught" the first fish with her new PINK fishing rod and with the help of her Grandpa Dub !!!

What can I say?? She loved the worms. Now THAT is my girl !!!! The worms were always my favorite thing as well :)

Such a cute little man :)

Grandma B watching Ru and Grandpa Dub fishin'

Nana and Papaw's Cont.

2009-09-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Isaiah sharing a sour patch kid with Uncle Mike !!!

Nana sharing her birthday cake with Isaiah.

The kiddos "loving" on Nana

Papaw pushing Isaiah on his cool trike.

Nana and Papaw's-SIX FLAGS !!!

2009-09-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

This is what kept Isaiah content!!! Soda and lemonade. He had never has soda before that day and will probably not have it again for a LONG LONG time !!!

Jerusha riding her fun roller coaster

Isaiah on his train ride !!!

While my mom and I rode Runaway Mountain, my dad took the kiddos to get a caricature portrait. Notice the drink in Isaiah's hand!!!

Our first event in Texas

2009-09-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

YAY!!! Finally my Bro. got married!!! It was rainy and hot the day Mike and Marci got married, hence the umbrellas. Aren't they a cute couple. They have been married for over a month so please excuse the lateness in my entries. I am just starting to get back to normal days. More pictures of our trip in Texas coming soon !!!

DEFINITELY a Sawilowsky !!!

2009-07-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

We had T-Bones for dinner tonite and Ru ate all of the filet off of my steak plus some more. She definitely ate way more steak than I did. Then she asked for the bone. Papaw, I am sure you are proud !!!

Gettin' every little bit that she can.

Even Isaiah, who doesn't eat dinner 75% of the time decided to chomp away at his steak. He had the filet from Alan's steak and though you see a couple of pieces left actually ate ALL of it. We have been playing a game where we tell jokingly tell him not to eat his food. He automatically sticks it in his mouth and laughs. Then looks at us with raised eybrows ready for us to tell him not to again. He enjoys the attention !!!

Motorcycle Ride !!!

2009-07-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

So, our friend Ashley had her parents in town this past week. They rode from Texas all the way to Minneapolis on this motorcyle. They ended up storing their trailer in our garage for a day. As a treat they let the kiddos sit on the motorcycle. They loved it !!! Especially Isaiah. He didn't want to get off. When I finally pulled him off of it he cried "MINE". Well, he learned a good lesson !! Just because he claims it doesn't mean it is his. They even let Ru and Isaiah put on the morotcyle helmet which of course was no ordinary helmet. This thing played music AND you could communicate with the person on the back of the motorcycle when they were wearing their helmet. Once Ru got off Isaiah sat on the front and started touching every little gadget there was. It was so fun and maybe when they get a little older they can take an actual ride on a motorcyle. Knowing Isaiah, he will end up being the biker "type" Which in Ashley's dad's case, it means an accountant !!!!

Ru is funny

2009-06-25T18:05:00.000-07:00

So for dinner yesterday I baked a chicken breast. i just put some garlic powder and some salt on it and stuck it in the toaster oven. I do this a lot but I think I put too much garlic powder on the chicken because Ru takes a bite of it then turns to me, shakes her head in disappointment and says in a low serious voice "Not Good".

Then today after a shopping trip I bought Ru a bag of sour patch kids. It was a pretty big bag because I know Alan likes them as well. So I give some to her and to Isaiah. After Isaiah finished his portion he shouts "MO". I told him it was all gone and Ru knowing it was a big bag goes "YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME !!!".

Hilarious !! Nice to have some comedic relief to such a busy week

Ballet

2009-06-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

I decided last minute to sign Ru up for ballet through a Christian dance studio called Sondance. I figured one six week session would give me a good idea if this is something Ru likes. Ru's first class was yesterday night. It was only 30 minutes and I KNOW Ru would have loved to stay longer. She did a great job !! They had a window so the parents could see what the kids were doing. Ru had a huge smile on her face the whole time. I have a feeling this might be a new hobby for her. She listened really well and her teacher Miss. Mariah was wonderful with the girls. There were six girls in class and it was the perfect number. Next time I will bring my camera and take some "action" shots.

Simea and Isaiah

2009-06-18T11:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I didn't know how to edit this to make it shorter so this movie will probably be too long for everyone minus the grandparents !! Just a warning.

The kind of sharing that pays you back

2009-06-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

So the kids did a great job eating their dinners tonight so we broke out some ice cream cones to celebrate. We were sitting outside eating them, Ru had her own and Isaiah and I were sharing. He and I were making short work of ours and soon there was just a small nub left in Isaiah's hand. Ru said to me, "Daddy, you can let Isaiah have the rest of that and I'll share with you". I thought, wow that's sweet! but then it seemed to get even better when Isaiah held up the remainder of the cone to me as if he wanted to share too. Wow, double sweet I thought! Both my kids have hearts that want to share.

But I told Isaiah, "no, that's okay" at which point he became upset. He clearly wanted me to take the cone, so I did. Them he looked over at his sister and reached for her cone. At that point it became clear that he wanted to trade his nub for a half share of an almost complete cone. I had to laugh. Generous he was not, but he did show pretty sharp wits for a 1 and a half year old.

Oh the difference

2009-05-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

Believe me, I really am trying to train him to say YES!!!

SHINE Preschool Celebration

2009-05-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to a celebration party for SHINE (Ru Magoo's preschool). Ru had a great experience here. We're super bummed that this is the last year for the program. Check out this cool video Ru and I made!

MY LITTLE MAN

2009-05-17T16:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Isaiah turned 1.5 years old. WOO HOO !! I thought I would do a little blog entry about what he is up to these days and about his likes and dislike.
Currently, Isaiah as seen in the picture above LOVES his chupie. We will be trying to wean him down to just naps and night time in the near future.
He loves to rummage through my diaper bag in search of yummy things such as graham crackers and gum. He is a sneaky little thing. I am having to keep a close eye on him.
He is a great sleeper !! He takes a nap from 12 to 4 and then goes to sleep at 7:30 p.m. and wakes up at 8a.m or 8:30 a.m. Does he sleep the whole time?? WHO CARES!!! If not he amuses himself and talks to himself I guess.
He is a very very picky eater. Things he loves are graham crackers, chocolate, pureed prunes, vanilla yogurt, granola bars, raisins, and fruit smoothies. He will tolerate eating chicken, cheese, milk. He absolutely will not eat any veggies. He will TRY any veggie I give him then throws it down or says NOOOOOOOOO!!! He doesn't really like to eat bread or pasta.
He is nothing like his sister. He doesn't dance or show off any new talent he has. He doesn't really thrive off of playing with other kids. In fact, I don't think he notices them at all. Definitely has more of Alan's intense personality. HE does love to cuddle still. I love it !! He will take my hand and put it on his cheek. He also loves to give me kisses and lets me give him kisses on the cheek.
He does not like t.v. or reading books. He does like swinging in his swing and rough housing with his daddy.
Well, I think that about sums up my little man. I could probably go on but I won't. I am excited to continue to figure out his personality.

MOM'S DAY

2009-05-09T16:44:00.000-07:00

The bouquet of flowers the kiddos and Alan got me for Mom's day at the Farmers Market

Yes WE are adorable !!!

To celebrate Mother's Day, Alan took me out on a date Friday night. We went to a great Thai place and then to Comedy Sportz and then to the tea garden for some bubble tea. (YUM !) I would definitely recommend Comedy Sportz to anyone who has one in their area. It is a group of people who do improv. They keep the language and content clean and are hilarious. I really enjoyed it and am grateful for a comedy club that keep things PG rated. Then this morning we went to the farmers market for flowers and Brats. We also picked up some locally grown asparagus and corn.(Super YUMMY !!) I told Alan it feels like celebrating mother's day is like my "bonus" for hanging out with my two favorite kiddos all day long.

Camping Trip

2009-04-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our camping trip. We went to William O'Brien State Park near Stillwater, Minnesota. We had great camping weather until Sunday morning when it got a little cold and rainy. But on Saturday we were able to take a good decently long bike ride. Ru LOVED camping and Isaiah tolerated it. He did do a good job sleeping which was the most important thing.

Ru and Lucy went hunting for ladybugs and came back with worms. Oh well at they didn't eat them.

Ru enjoying her roasted marshmellows. She triple stacked it !!

Alan and Isaiah hanging out by the fire.

Our new four person tent and while it is the biggest tent we have ever had it only weighs a mere 5lbs. Right Alan ?

PIzza Cutter

2009-04-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

My new pizza cutter from Alan. What more could a girl want ?!?!

Easter pictures

2009-04-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

It is the best shot I could get. He is struttin' his stuff. His tie is so cute !!! He is my little man.

Ru being beautiful !! I love the dress. My favorite. My mom and I searched high and low for this dress and she drove all over finding Ru's size. We both agreed that if "some other occasion" came up this would work out perfectly.

Ok so there is something that will make him smile. Candy !!

I had to get in another picture of Ru. She did such a great job. She calls this dress her "pretty dress".

Easter Pictures-The out takes !!

2009-04-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

Isaiah drinking his chocolate milk

What happens when you take chocolate milk away to try and get a "good" Easter picture

Isaiah not wanting sister to hold his hand.

That is it !! HE wants his MOMMA and Ru is sick of all this picture taking !!

Easter pictures coming soon !!

2009-04-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone !!

So I left the thingy majig at my parents that loads the pictures from my camera to the computer. So when I get that in the mail I will upload pics of the kiddos. They looked very cute :)

Ru likes to share and Isaiah likes to recieve !!

2009-04-09T13:21:00.001-07:00

So this morning I was rushing to get to Target and gave my son Isaiah a granola bar for breakfast (I know I know throw me under a bus!!) Anyways, Ru wanted one as well but I didn't have another one so I told her I would buy some and give her one after we got done grocery shopping at Target ( it was a quick trip) So afterwards, I gave Ru her granola bar and knew Isaiah would want another one but refused to cave in. I mean really how many granola bars does a pint sized boy need!! So Ru is eating and Isaiah is wailing MI MI MI and grabbing at Ru's food. Very normal for Isaiah to do. In fact, at church he tried to grab a cookie from a complete stranger. And not a kid stranger a grown-up stranger. Anyways I digress. So, Ru after only eating half of her granola bar, hands the rest of it to Isaiah and tells him he can have it. Isn't that so sweet. I mean she could literally eat 2 or 3 herself. Little moments like that give me such a huge glimpse into the person the Lord is going to grow her up to be.

Restitution

2009-04-04T15:20:00.000-07:00

I gotta story for ya. So a couple of friends and I decided to do this competition through the YWCA called Meltdown Madness. We get points for tracking what we eat, exercising during the week and then get points for how much fat we lose and points for how much muscle we gain. Anyways, so I have been doing this for a week and I weighed myself today. Here is the following conversation with my husband.

Rachel- Hey, I don't know if it was just the fact that I weighed myself in the morning and not in the afternoon like I did last week but I lost 2.5 pounds. Is that ok?

Dumb response #1 from Alan-(knowing Rachel is concerned about losing too much too fast) I bet it was just water weight.

Rachel- umm 2.5 pounds. I doubt it. Maybe some though.

Dumb response #2 from Alan- I think it is ok. The people on the Biggest Loser lose way more than that in a week and they are fine.

Rachel- umm thanks for comparing me to a 400 pound person. One of them is more than two of me !!! GRRRR

Dumb response #3 from Alan- YOU aren't going to be like THAT are you??

Rachel-You better stop talking before I push you into the grave you just dug yourself !!! ( I didn't say that but if I had thought about it I would have !!!) ( Then I gave my 2.5 pound less body a big hug and pat on the back) ( I didn't do this either but I would have if I had thought about it as well!!)

So before you think I am just bashing on my husband, he has read it and has approved of the legitimacy of the conversation-well at least for the most part :) Anyways, I started thinking about that whole conversation. When we were first married a conversation like that would have left him on the couch for the night !! But everyone who knows Alan knows that he is a very sweet and usually very sensitive person. And he also usually thinks before he speaks way more often than I do. I came away from that conversation not upset or mad or feeling down. I actually thought it was pretty stinkin' hilarious. What I was reminded of was that I feel super loved and taken care of by Alan. I also know he finds me beautiful and tells me that all the time !! And THAT is a great place for me to be. It might have taken the first couple of years of marriage to get there. But we are there and it is nice to realize it.

Fifth and Sixth Stop: The Lee's and the Cole's

2009-03-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

Brian, Steph, teeny tiny baby lee (in utero !!) and big sister Jada !! Why did I not take more pictures of our visit ??

After visiting the Lee's, we headed for Steph and David Cole's house. Before bed Elli, Toby and Ru decided they wanted to watch a video. So cute !!

Elli and her mommy Stephanie.

Well, I had to get in a picture with Steph and I was not about to ask Toby or Ru to take it !!

Fourth Stop: Tia Amanda's House

2009-03-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

My beautiful friend Amanda !!!

At the Children's museum in Colleg Station. Isaiah, Amanda's son Ephraim and Ru. Notice the change in Ru's hair. Amanda did such a great job with her pig tails !!

Amanda's daughter Naphtali and Ru painting.

This is my favorite picture. I love it !!

Third stop Continued

2009-03-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

Ru and cousin Samuel

From Left to Right- Great Uncle Frank, Great Uncle Gene, Gram, Uncle Brian and Great Woofie.

Great Aunt Lisa, Woofie and cousin Samuel

This is the view from Gram and Grandad's back porch. SO beautiful !!

Third Stop: Gram and Grandad

2009-03-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

The kiddos with their Great Woofie

Isaiah telling Aunt Natalie not to steal his cookie !!

Gram and Isaiah.

Grandad and Ru.

Second Stop: Grandpa Dub and Grandma B

2009-03-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Dub dressing up at the Mayborn Museum in Waco.

Isaiah dressing up as well !!

Ru playing in the police car. This was her favorite.

Grandma B and Ru driving to school !!

First stop in Texas: Visiting Nana and Papaw

2009-03-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ru and Papaw trying to fly a Dora Kite

Nana pushing the kiddos in a Barbie Jeep !!

What can I say? He likes talking on the phone !!

Papaw and Ru playing with bubbles. She used the whole bottle up in one day.

Ru update

2009-02-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

Ru went to the doctors yesterday for a check up and some shots. She did really well !! She is in the 97th percentile on her height and 90 percentile on her weight. Well-balanced.

Poop, Friends and God

2009-02-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

Well this weekend has been a doozy !! Alan's work hosted a big conference called Frost bike so he was gone Thursday through Sunday late afternoon. Usually that is fine but Isiah got diarrhea and so goes the weekend. In the middle of poop everywhere, the wash basin where the water drains out from my washer decided to clog leaving water all over the basement floor and poopy clothes and bed sheets to sit unwashed smelling up the entire house. It was horrible. And because we did not leave the house, Ru was restless and pretty naughty.

BUT, I have never felt more loved in the midst of this disasterous weekend. So many friends left encouraging emails, facebook messages and one friend, Leah, even called numerous times to make sure we were okay. And then, Ashley and Nick Absalom did about the sweetest thing ever. To avoid my kids eating totinos pizza for the second time that day, they brought over dinner and stayed to eat with me!! But it doesn't end there !! It had snowed a couple of inches and we obvioulsy had not plowed our sidewalks, so Nick got on all the winter gear and snow plowed them for us. Then Ashley took all my clean laundry and folded for me AND did the dishes. Not to mention they had to be in a house that smelled like poop and was messy. It was such a blessing.

What I was convicted about though was that through that whole mess I never once asked God to help me make it through or to lighten my load. I did what my flesh always tries to do- muster it up by my own strength. Yet again I failed and always will. What is so sweet and humbling about this situation is that God showed me mercy and helped me despite my sinfullness.

To all my dear friends, thank you so much for your help and encouragement and for letting God work through you to bless and teach me this weekend. I am so grateful and humbled.

New to Knitting

2009-02-18T16:44:00.000-08:00

TA DA!!! My new hat !! 100 % HAND MADE !!! It kinda looks silly on so I just stuck with this picture. I must admit I really like to knit. I think I am going to move on to a scarf that matches. I made a hat like this for Ru but it was really bad. This one turned out way better!!

About Rachel

2009-02-13T14:03:00.001-08:00

1.High heels or boots? Boots ! Hello it is winter. Who wears heels in winter. I don't wear heels anyways. I have two kids !!

2. What time did you get up this morning?5:45 for a dentist appointment. I couldn't sleep and the appointment was at 7. They said if you miss an appointment then you can NEVER make an appointment with them again. Weird

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?Slumdog Millionaire

4. What is your favorite TV show?The Biggest Loser

5. What do you usually have for breakfast?A bannana and half a bagel
6. What is your middle name?Renee
7. What food do you dislike? HMM....chicken livers !!

8. What is your favorite song at the moment? No sweeter name than the name of Jesus

9. Favorite sandwich? So tough but probably the Muffaletta at Jason's deli.

10. What characteristic do you despise? Rudeness

11. Clothing? Khaki corduroys and a sweater

12. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation? INDIA

13. Are you an organized person? Not at all. Have you seen my the inside of my kitchen cabinets!!

14. Where would you like to retire to? Only Jesus knows

15. What was your most recent memorable birthday? A month ago. Some sweet girl friends met me for breakfast and then my amazing hubby took me out on the town while our friends watched our kids OVERNIGHT!!!

16. What are you going to do when you finish this? Get Isaiah up from his nap.

17. Furthest place you are sending this? I don't know

18. Person you expect to send it back first? I don't know

19.When is your birthday? January 17th

20. Morning person or a night person? Night

21. What is your shoe size? 8 1/2

22. Pets? NO, I have kids and that is enough

23. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? I don't have any cavities !! WOO HOO !!

24. What did you want to be when you were little? a doctor

25. What is your favorite flower? White Roses
26. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?March 7th. I am going to Texas WOO HOO!!

27. What was the last thing you ate? rice krispy treat

28. Do you wish on stars? Heck no. I live in the city. When am I going to see stars !!!

29. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Red

30. How is the weather right now? 40's YAY !!

31. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My mom

32. Favorite soft drink? Diet Dr. Pepper and IF I am in Texas I go to Sonic and get a Diet Dr.Pepper with Vanilla.

33. Favorite restaurant? W.A. Frost ion St.Paul, MN. Square One in Bryan,TX

34. Hair color?Black

35. What was your favorite toy as a child? I have no clue.

36. Summer or winter? Fall !! But if I had to choose them SUMMER.

37. Chocolate or vanilla? Are you kidding me. Chocolate of course. Who would answer vanilla ??

38. Coffee or tea? Coffee- French Press to be exact

39. Do you want your friends to do this also? Of course

40. When was the last time you cried?Monday

41. What is under your bed? Toys, Ru's underwear and Ru's books.

42. What did you do last night? Watched some t.v. and stressed about my dentist appointment

43. Salty or sweet? Sweet, no contest

44. How many keys on your key ring? 10

45. How many years at your current job? 3 years

46. Favorite day of the week? Saturday

47. Positive or negative? Negative. What can I say, the glass is half empty

48. How many people will you send this to? whoever reads the blog

49. How many will respond? I don't know

50. Do you like finding out all this stuff about your friends? Of course

Dentist

2009-02-13T08:59:00.001-08:00

i don't have any pictures up yet but Ru had her first dentist appointment today!! She did a great job. She had a little trouble with the flouride being put in her mouth but overall it went well!!

I too had an appointment and did awesome as well :)

Teaching my kids the big lessons in life

2009-02-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

Preschool Fun

2009-02-04T11:48:00.000-08:00

One day at the end of preschool, the kiddos went sledding. Ru was so sad when we had to leave.

All of the kiddos at SHINE .

A fun indoor activity !!

Ru has had so much fun at preschool !! I don't think she is going to like having the summer off. She is my social butterfly !!!

Date Night Continued

2009-01-25T12:23:00.000-08:00

So Mary and I decided after one regular round to bowl the Fun Crazy way. First you bowl with your right hand. Then you bowl with your left hand, then granny style and then a turn around backwards granny style (pictured here) and then last but not least

Sit down on your but and roll the ball down the alley has hard as you can. (Nicely demonstrated.) May I add that Mary's score only suffered a few points by this new and improved bowling technique.

The guys on the other hand were a little bit more competitive. Though they both did give the fun crazy bowling a try, it was all business.

And this was the funniest sight all night. See those ice cream containers hanging from the roof. That's right folks, they not only serve as decorations but also come in handy when your roof has some leaks in it. These "decorations" were all over the place.

All in all, it was a great night out. The kids didn't kill the babysitter and were all nicely tucked away in bed when we got home! YAY !!

Double Date WHOOO HOOO !!!

2009-01-25T12:15:00.000-08:00

So this past Friday, Alan and I went out on a double date with some friends of ours Tom and Mary. We left our kids with a babysitter and headed off for a night of FUN!!

Where does one go for dinner when you have no kids?? Well, we decided on Indian food because really who gets to eat Indian food with kids. (Ok, except for Leah Miller and her very cool kids who eat red peppers, sushi and carrots like it is ice cream !!! Do they like Indian food ?? I bet they do.)

After dinner we thought about going to a winter carnival but decided it was WAY TO COLD and opted to go bowling instead

Had to get a shot of our cute bowling shoes!!

What do you think?

2009-01-20T05:49:00.000-08:00

Me and my brother Mike

Isaiah and Ru

Ok is it just me or does Isaiah look like me??

Ikea and the Incarnation

2009-01-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

Ru and I were talking tonight before she went to sleep and somehow we started talking about where Jesus was. I told Ru that curious as it may sound, Jesus was everywhere. Ru first told me that I was wrong, that he wasn't everywhere. So I told her that yes, he was everywhere but in an effort to make things a bit simpler I added that there were two places he most liked to be - in heaven on his throne and with people who had humble hearts (Isaiah 57:15). But she wasn't ready to let a small thing like omnipresence go lightly. So we talked about how Jesus was right here with us and that yes, he could hear what we were saying. She then told me that she didn't want Jesus here and that she didn't want him to come into her room or into her brother's room because she was scared. So we talked about how she didn't need to be scared of Jesus, that he could protect us, that he was a safe place. I told her that I didn't completely understand it either but that Jesus did hear and see everything and that we could trust him and talk to him and learn to hear his voice. She then insisted that no, Jesus couldn't come here because he was too big for our house.

And then somehow I thought about Ikea kids furniture:

I asked Ru to think about the kid's table and chairs that she had upstairs from Ikea. I said, "Aren't those kid size and too big for Daddy?" She agreed. Then I said, "Yeah, they are for kids and Daddy doesn't really fit but he's not too big to sit with you at the table and play". She agreed and seemed instantly comforted at this thought. Then we prayed together that she wouldn't be afraid of Jesus' presence but that she would desire, know, and enjoy it.

I've blogged about this before but I'm still amazed at how much God helps me teach my kids and by how much he teaches me at the same time. It's awesome to associate an image of me sitting down at the Ikea table coloring or playing play-doh with Ru with Jesus' posture towards us. Whether you have kids or not, pay attention to these things because they teach us the kindgom of God.

Now right after this we cuddled a bit more and Ru looked at me and said, "God made me daddy." To which I replied, "Yes, he did". And then Ru said, "Just you and God made me, but not Mommy" to which I replied, "Uh, mommy and daddy made you and God made you too, but I think that's enough for one night".

And then I told her to go to sleep.

Clean up, clean up, everybody does their share...

2008-12-28T18:53:00.000-08:00

Snow fun

2008-12-28T18:26:00.000-08:00

Isaiah snow sledding. He didn't like it very much

Ru liked it !!

Alan and Ru in front of one of the snow men they made

I can't take credit for the snow men. In fact, Alan almost wouldn't let me in the picture since I was in the warm cozy house. Someone had to take care of Isaiah though !!

Opening Gifts

2008-12-28T18:18:00.000-08:00

A book from Gram !!

Isaiah LOVED this ball.

A very special doll that Ru inherited from Aunt Natalie.

Ru opening a snowball maker while Isaiah tries to steal the doll !!!

Ru and Alan

2008-12-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

My Woman

2008-12-22T20:17:00.000-08:00

My Girl

2008-12-22T20:13:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread houses

2008-12-15T11:02:00.000-08:00

This is the first year we have made gingerbread houses and it was a lot of work but a lot of fun too. We invited friends over because what is the fun of eating icing, gum drops, sprinkles and cookies without moms and kiddos to share it with !!

Here is Ru ready to go !!

The houses before

The houses AFTER. The one above is Ru's

More finished gingerbread houses. The kids (and moms) did a great job.

Our trip to Ohio for Thanksgiving

2008-12-11T07:37:00.000-08:00

Well, now that Ru has turned three and things have settled down a teeny tiny bit, here are some pictures from our trip to Ohio. We had a fun time and stayed pretty busy. We had Thanksgiving at the Youth center in Eaton and all of Grandpa's brothers and sisters and their families came. He has 6 still living. ( A whopping total of nine kids total !!). Ru got to participate in the Thanksgiving church service and sang with the other kiddos and even got up and said a little saying. (With some help of course!!) I was so suprised she actually did it. Ru loved getting to play with Brittany, Katie and Regan too. She loved it and still asks where they are .

Mom threw a birthday party for Isaiah, Ru and Brittany. Here are all the kids digging into the stickers with Grandma watching!!

Mike playing with the kiddos

Mom cleaning Isaiah up after his yummy cupcake. Look at his chubby cheeks !!

HAPPY THIRD BIRTHDAY-A DAY LATE !!

2008-12-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

I know I know. I should be shot. But I figure I get sympathy points since we had a HUGE party for her the day before and were so tired and worn out that I forgot to post yesterday !! Good thing she will never know!! I am so glad she is three. I think three will be a good year for her. We love her lots!! From her love of carbs (like her daddy), to her wanting to sleep with me at nights when Alan is gone, to her amazing people person personality, to her love of music and dancing, to her great nap taking (fingers crossed this holds another year !!). WE love her for many many more reasons as well. She is our first born. The one I prayed for, for almost a whole year and then once concieved another 9 months that she would be healthy and grow up to be a Godly woman in her own unique way. She brings many firsts into our lives and takes us on a wonderful ride of "should we let her or should we not let her " . I can't wait to see what the next year brings !! (Raise your Sippy Cup full of Milk with me . . . ) Happy 3rd Birthday Jerusha Carmichael Burdette !!!!

Ru's 3rd Birthday Party

2008-12-06T15:19:00.000-08:00

Ru with her gift from mom and dad

Ru opening her gifts

Ru playing with play dough !!

Ru's 3rd Birthday Cont.

2008-12-06T15:14:00.000-08:00

The Pinata

The Cake

The kiddos playing with play dough

All the kids (especially Ru and Lucille going for the candy